High Court stalls new curriculum challenge

Mashudu Netsianda Bulawayo Bureau— The High Court has dismissed an urgent chamber application filed by Dadaya High School School Development Committee challenging the newly-introduced school curriculum. Parents with children at the school accused Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora of imposing the new curriculum, without consultation. In his ruling, Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Nicholas Mathonsi said: “There is no basis upon which this matter can be allowed to jump the queue. I, therefore, refuse to deal with it on an urgent basis and accordingly the matter must proceed by ordinary application.”

Dadaya SDC through lawyers — Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners — last week filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court citing Dr Dokora and the school headmaster as respondents.

The parents sought an order suspending the use of the new curriculum at the school until proper consultations had been done. They argued that as key stakeholders, they were not consulted by the minister and they want the respondents to be permanently interdicted from effecting curriculum changes without consulting parents.

In his founding affidavit, the SDC chairperson, Mr Leopold Mudisi, argued that the implementation of the new curriculum compromised the education delivery system. He said the new curriculum was “an ambitious” project, which would unnecessarily burden teachers and compromise the future of learners.

“The overhaul of the curriculum is impractical. The learning time for conventional subjects was always not enough and thus to introduce new subjects is ambitious and sounds myopic. There are no qualified teachers at the school to teach the new subjects and inevitably it will affect the pupils’ performance,” said Mr Mudisi.

The parents said there was no way curriculum changes could be implemented without consultations since they were responsible for payment of school fees and the future of their children.

They also argued that it would be cumbersome for Dr Dokora to facilitate the school to acquire qualified teachers with requisite skills and knowledge overnight against a background of a huge Government wage bill.

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This is precisely what’s wrong with us Zimbos. The future of our kids is at stake yet we let some illiterate moron foist upon us an idiotic carriculum and we don’t raise a finger. We are a docile lot. That’s why Zamu gets away with its shenanigans. Otherwise makambozviona kupi that a party giving you 90% unemployment and admits to losing your $15B can win an election? **!!

April 18

How does the new curriculum address the very nasty and backward if not sloppy economic fundamentals within the context of a recession ? Since when in recent economic history has curriculum change of this magnitude characterised by severe lack of both financial and teaching resources addressed the issues of unemployment,low GDP ,low living standards and a stagnant economy? Why sacrifice our children for narrow political ends? Its the economy that needs fixing not the curriculum.

Matsimba

Where are you getting the August deadline? The parents want the new curriculum deferred or scrapped until the minister responsible do the right thing- consultation.

Restless

As a student I think you still have a lot to learn about the evolution of education in Zimbabwe. I happen to be one of those people educated in both the pre-independence and the post independence. Education in pre independence was meant to churn out people who would provide labour to the settler regime. At independence not much was done to change the curriculum hence this widely held view that if someone leaves school, college or university, he or she should secure a job. Education is therefore being viewed as a means to getting a good job. The old curriculum the minister is trying to change was equally an accomplice in this matter. I think a change of curriculum was long overdue. We need people who are equipped with life surviving skills from a tender age. That way we are able to encourage innovation and develop as a nation.

Aristotle Lupus

Judges have guidelines they use to assess matters. In this case, it means the lawyers for the school failed to prove urgency and in such cases judges must not entertain the matter urgently. The case will still be considered but not urgently. Further, you can do your part by applying for the suspension of the curriculum urgently by choosing good lawyers.

maita

Which nation has moved with this curriculum my friend, don’t lie. How does PE move a country, how does making a science subject an option reasonable? Have you checked the curriculum of those countries which have developed, did they do it through heritage studies?

ancube

Meanwhile no government minister has a child a govt school where these experiments are conducted. Im glad my kids are ddoing cambridge not this Diesel-Rock-believing- Dr

Tinovaziva

Either the application was poorly argued or the judge did not understand it. Time is moving and the more time that passes the more irreparable damage is being done to our children. Even ZIMSEC and Ministry Officials don’t know how this is going to work and yet we are doing it anyway. It’s like taking a road without bothering to find where it leads and refusing to entertain someone asking people to take an urgent pause to think about where we are going.

Hacha Duke of Enkeldoorn

SDA members are all parents – whether they consulted other parents is another thing.